MEDIA TALK; 2 Reporters Preparing Books on Giuliani

Two New York journalists who have had difficult relations with Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani are writing books about him that are scheduled to be published this summer, just as the mayor's race for the United States Senate against Hillary Rodham Clinton would be heading into the stretch.

Andrew Kirtzman, a political reporter for New York One, a local cable TV news station, who has covered Mr. Giuliani since 1993, is writing ''Rudy Giuliani: Emperor of the City,'' a look at the mayor's administration, for William Morrow Press, an imprint of the News Corporation's HarperCollins unit.

Wayne Barrett, a longtime investigative reporter for The Village Voice, is writing ''Rudy: Gotham's Goliath,'' a biography of Mr. Giuliani, for Basic Books, an imprint of the Perseus Books Group.

Neither writer found a publisher when the proposals were first made in 1998. But after Mrs. Clinton expressed interest last year in running for the New York seat, both writers got many offers.

Stuart Applebaum, a Random House spokesman and a longtime publishing industry executive, noting that there have been several critical books about Mrs. Clinton recently, said, ''It may be unprecedented where you have a trail of books about both candidates in a statewide race.''